Re: MCL/PowerPC reality check

[emgertz@scripps.edu]

Well, I have some problems with your argument.

1) From what I have read here, it seems that MCL has sold thousands of
macs, but what I think is more relevant is that noone really seems to have
any idea exactly how many macs MCL has sold. The research wasn't done, or
if it was done, has not been publicized.

2) Maybe pragmatism on Apple's part is Ok, but then what is wrong with
pragmatism on our part. Apple has the burden of convincing developers to
develop on its machine. It can't convince developers to do so on market
share alone, since it really hasn't cornered the market on desktop
machines.

3) Most developers don't use Lisp, but then again most developers don't use
Macs.

4) I doubt that MCL has to be a loss for Apple. There is a market for Lisp,
and they have an exceptional product. Why can't Apple turn a profit? It may
not be a huge one, but...

5) Since they use MCL themselves for internal projects, I would say that
they are also benfiting from keeping MCL around. I assume that these
internal projects help Apple make a profit.

6) Apple doesn't make a direct profit from System software. It make a
profit from the hardware that goes with it. Why is this different? Sure the
quantity is different, but if both investments help Apple turn a profit,
then there is some analogy there. Apple needs innovative third party
products as much as it needs innovative system software to sell its
hardware. One of the biggest reasons I have heard for not buying Mac now is
the (perceived?) lack of software.

7) Apple truly has a poor relationship with its developers right now. I
don't think we are doing them a disservice by pointing this out. If the
situation doesn't change, I don't see how people will be able to justify
developing for the Mac.

--Mike Gertz

BTW I have a good sense of humor, but I am afraid of what Jesse Helms might
actually ban from the Information Superhighway, so it is not particularly
funny to me. It's chilling actually. Have you read articles in the press
regarding net news? They almost always focus on alt.sex. Someone like Jesse
could easily use this group as an excuse to regulate the flow of info (We
don't want Jonny to learn how to masturbate, do we.) Big brother may be
watching us if we don't watch out!